"It was all a dream..." Don't you just hate lines like this. They're called cliches. And they are like slapping beige paint on a Picasso: Cliches make every writer's work generic and unimaginative. This entry will discuss obvious cliches to avoid and how to make your writing more creative.
What is a cliche? A cliche is a thought or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
Why are they bad for writers? They make your manuscript generic, they are boring phrases, and this, ultimately, culminates to your readers switching off. But Dylan! They make the text accessible and universal. No. Universality - in my opinion, anyway - is a bad thing. What you need is a specific audience, with unique characters that aren't like every Tom, Dick, and Harry. (I will discuss the importance of this more in my Cover Letter Blog Entry.)
The tricky thing is that you might not always be aware that you are using cliches. I have! (Yes, I'm not claiming to be perfect - I have made many, many mistakes, but that's how we learn, right?) In the first draft of The Falling Sun, back in 2020 and Covid (what a crazy time that was), my writing was abysmal. I mean, abysmal. Reading it was like pulling teeth. (Ahah! A cliche.) Anyway, my writing was full of imaginative ramblings, as well as cliches. What did I do? I rewrote the entire thing - but you don't have to do that.
This post helps you to identify and avoid cliches.
A writer can root out cliches and simply rewrite them to something that conveys the same message but is more imaginative.
For example: One of my favourite lines in The Falling Sun was (I had to slaughter my darlings [cliche], so it is no longer in the novel) was a summary of San Francisco's volatility in 1969 - 'like an untamed wolf in a bread-bin.'
You may not like that line, but that's not the point. The point is that 'like an untamed wolf in a bread-bin' is not a cliche. It is imaginative, unpredictable, and forces the reader to conjure a "new" image - unlike something boring, such as 'like a firework about to blow.'
So, there's how you can make your writing more interesting: avoid cliches by being imaginative and unpredictable. E.G: 'John was as unpleasant as walking with jelly in one's sock.'
Here are some examples of cliches to avoid:
Time Heals all Wounds
At the End of the Day
The Calm Before the Storm
Every Cloud has a Silver Lining
What Doesn't Kill you Makes you Stronger
Bite the Bullet
Better Late than Never
Her Heart Pounded in her Chest
Lost Track of Time
Happily Ever After
Once Upon a Time
A Dark and Stormy Night
It was all a Dream
The Icing on the Cake
Time Slowed
And the list went on for what felt like eternity (Cliche!)
When are Cliches Good? Cliches work when they are disguised as genre tropes. These cliches are usually plot or character related, rather than phrases.
For example, Chujitsu (which you can download for free by signing up to the newsletter) is a bar brawl. This is because every Western needs a bar brawl. Whilst cliched, fulfilling the expectation of the trope satisfies the audience. Chujitsu also subverts expectations - but you'll have to read it to find out.
OR parents in rom-coms are always divorced. It's a genre trope and cliche, but can avoid being overtly un-original by an imaginative plot or character.
In conclusion, cliches are boring and conjure little in the mind's eye. Avoid them, unless you are writing in a specific genre and will put your own spin on the cliches of that genre's trope. To make your writing more imaginative think of unpredictable ways of describing something or someone. But don't go overboard, or else your reader will need a translator.
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